Is it okay for a 6" bearded dragon to be put on a sand substrate?

Question

I say no, but my boyfriend says yes. What do you think? I've had a bearded dragon die young before (10+ years ago) and I don't want to go through it again.

Answer 1

well it is said that young bearded dragons are clumsy at first when they eat. if they miss a cricket, they could eat or inhale the sand. with adults its ok but its not recommended for young dragons. but when they get older and more accurate, it should be fine.

Answer 2

Dont ever put any reptiles on sand, it can cause compaction if swallowed, which can happen if they leap for a cricket and miss and get a mouthful of sand.  Try looking at your local petstore for dirt or a diffrent type of substrate that says on the package that its not harmful if swallowed.

Answer 3

bearded dragon substrate is a hot topic you will talk to 10 people and get 15 answers on what to do.  i do not use sand because of substrate impaction( referred to above as compaction).  if you do go with the sand i would recommend weekly bath soaks (put him in the bath tub) of at least 2 hours.

Answer 4

I normally avoid this question because there is so much argument as to whether it is okay or not, but I've decided to give my opinion, even though I know plenty of people will disagree. Oh well. I think play sand is fine. I've used it with no problems, and I know many people who have used it with no problems. I've never met anyone who's had a reptile die from impaction. This leads me to believe impaction isn't as common as some people will try to have you believe. I know a lady who produces hundreds of beardies a year and is well known here in the Texas reptile scene. She keeps her hatchlings on play sand and out of thousands she has produced over the last 10 to 15 years, no problems with sand whatsoever. The way she taught me to do it is to take something like a green aquarium net from the pet store and use that to sift the larger pebbles from the sand. This leaves nothing but fine sand which can easily pass. I have heard calcium sand and similar products are bad, however, since they can clump when wet. There you go, that's my two cents.